Kidnapping Motive of BBC Reporter?

[Teddy Bear]

An article today might explain the reason the BBC reporter, Alan Johnston, was kidnapped in Gaza.

Since unsurprisingly, Johnston's coverage in this conflict was skewed very much in favour of the Palestinians, his abduction by them seemed strange from the beginning. Today the BBC reported that the UK is in talks with the Hamas PM to get his release. Bear in mind that the UK, as well as the EU and USA have hitherto boycotted any direct talks with Hamas because of their stated terrorist policy and pledge to destroy Israel, but the article quotes western diplomats to Reuters news agency that "there had been a general understanding since Hamas came to power in March 2006 that their boycott could be relaxed in emergencies such as kidnappings."

So all Hamas had to do to obtain recognition and increase their 'status' was to kidnap a Brit. It's becoming quite a fad recently, with Iran too getting in on the act, and naturally our government folds.

I think many soldiers who dies in the 2nd World War must be turning in their graves at how our 'bulldog' spirit has become more 'bull-shit'. What's the bet following this meeting Hamas will 'locate' this journalist and return him to his grateful family thereby showing how 'humanitarian' they are.

The militant Muslims really know how to play 'diplomacy'.

UK meets Hamas PM over reporter

The UK insisted it was not changing its policy towards Hamas
A UK diplomat has met the Palestinian prime minister - a member of the militant Hamas movement - for talks on a missing BBC journalist.
It was the UK's first meeting with Ismail Haniya. The government normally boycotts Hamas as a terrorist group.

Alan Johnston went missing on 12 March and is believed to have been kidnapped.

Richard Makepeace, UK consul-general in Jerusalem, said the meeting in Gaza was arranged solely to discuss "this very important humanitarian issue".

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas also met Mr Haniya in Gaza, and faced demonstrations by Palestinian journalists outside his presidential office in Gaza City.

"We will not spare any effort to bring back the journalist, the friend, the human being to his family," Mr Abbas said.

Policy 'unchanged'

After meeting Mr Haniya, Richard Makepeace stressed that the meeting did not signal a change in UK policy towards Hamas.

"I believe all of us want to achieve a peaceful and a quick solution to this unfortunate problem," he told reporters after the meeting.




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Mr Johnston, the only international correspondent based in Gaza, has been held captive longer than any other journalist there.

Britain and the EU usually refuse to meet Hamas members of the new Palestinian national unity government over the Islamic group's refusal to renounce violence and to recognise Israel's right to exist.

Western diplomats quoted by Reuters news agency said there had been a general understanding since Hamas came to power in March 2006 that their boycott could be relaxed in emergencies such as kidnappings.

[ascendinglark]

If the guy is actually dead as unconfirmed reports claim, do you think this make any difference to the culture of pro-Palestinian anti-Israel bias at the BBC? I don't think so, personally.

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6559619.stm

[Teddy Bear]

I don't think it will affect the general bias of the BBC, they will probably turn it to show how 'Israel's repression of the Palestinians has created these groups', or something of that ilk, so Israel will ultimately be blamed.

I still find this abduction very strange. I wonder if it could have been non-miltant Palestinians, knowing that the media keeps this conflict going, by empowering the militants, and negatively affecting their hopes for the future, that might have committed this act. A sort of underground Palestinian group.

Or else it was one of the miltant groups, and things simply went wrong.